Colonial Period
SOL VUS.2
New England Colonies
New England was
settled by Puritans
seeking freedom from
religious persecution!
The Puritans formed a
“covenant community” which
was based on the principles of
the Mayflower Compact and
Puritan religious beliefs.
Mayflower Compact
Is often described as America’s first
constitution.
 Importance lies in the belief that a legitimate
government must have the consent of the
governed.
 The Mayflower Compact is a covenant in that
the settlers agreed to form a government and
to be bound by its rules.

Puritans were often intolerant
of those not sharing their
religion.
Puritans practiced a form of
direct democracy through town
meetings.
The New England settlers
sought economic opportunities
to better their lives in the New
World.
Middle Atlantic Region
This region was
settled mostly by
English, Dutch, and
German speaking
immigrants.
Immigrants to the Middle
Atlantic region also came to
the New World seeking
religious freedom and
economic opportunity.
Virginia and other southern
colonies were settled by
people seeking economic
opportunities.
EARLY SETTLERS TO
VIRGINIA
Cavaliers – wealthy nobility who were
given land grants
 Poor immigrants – set up small farms
in the Shenandoah Valley and western
Virginia
 Indentured servants

The early Virginia “cavaliers” were
English nobility who received large
land grants in eastern Virginia from
the King of England.
Cavalier from
Virginia.
Poor English immigrants
came to Virginia seeking
better lives as small farmers
or artisans and settled in the
Shenandoah Valley or
western Virginia.
Indentured servants agreed to
work on tobacco plantations
for a period of time to pay for
passage to the New World.
The Virginia House of
Burgesses, established by the
1640s, was the first elected
assembly in the New World.
Today the House of Burgesses is known as
the General Assembly of Virginia.
Jamestown was the first
permanent English settlement
in North America.
Established by the Virginia
Company of London in 1607
The first Africans were brought
against their will to Jamestown
in 1619 to work on the
tobacco plantations.
The growth of an agricultural
economy based on large
landholdings in the Southern
colonies and in the Caribbean
led to the introduction of
slavery in the New World.
The exploration and
settlement by the English and
Spanish led to violent conflicts
with the American Indians.
The Indians lost their
traditional territories and fell
victim to diseases such as
smallpox that were carried
from Europe.
The French, however, had
more cooperative relations
with Native American people.
The reason for these better relations
was that French exploration did not lead
to large scale immigration.
1. The first elected assembly
in the New World was the
________.
House of Burgesses in Virginia
2. Where did the first Africans
arrive in the New World?
Jamestown
Why did Africans come to the
New World?
To serve as a new labor force
for tobacco plantations
3. Why did the French have
better relations with the
Indians than the English and
Spanish did?
Their explorations did not lead to
large scale immigration.
4. The Puritans formed a
Covenant community
_______________
which was based on the
Mayflower Compact
____________________
5. Who were the Cavaliers?
wealthy Englishmen who
received large land grants
from the King of England
Where did the Cavaliers get
the land grants?
Virginia
6. What led to the introduction
of slavery in the New World?
The growth of an
agricultural economy
7. The English and Spanish
settlement and exploration of
the New World often led to
violent conflicts
______________________
with the American Indians.
8. Which group settled in
New England?
The Puritans
Why did they come to
the New World?
They were seeking religious
freedom.
9. How did the indentured
servants pay for their passage
to the New World?
They worked on plantations for
a period of time.
10. What was the first
settlement in the New World?
Jamestown – established
in 1607
11. What is the House of
Burgesses known as today?
The General Assembly of
Virginia
12. What harmed the Native
Americans the most when the
white settlers came from
Europe?
The settlers brought diseases
such as smallpox from Europe
that killed many Indians.
13. What group settled in
Florida?
The Spanish